A New Beginning
by DemonLover56
Summary: The government is rebuilding itself, and new bonds are being formed between groups who once would have fought to the death. Ishbal must be rebuilt and its people restored. Post series
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characers. Enjoy!

Brigadier General Roy Mustang was feeling rather degraded as he lay in the hospital bed, wounds still healing slowly, an eye patch over his left eye, and Hawkeye sitting beside him monitoring every little move. She was currently trying to get him to eat again, but what she just didn't seem to understand was that he didn't feel much like doing anything since learning about what had happened with Edward and Alphonse. Not to be misunderstood, of course. He was very happy that Al had gotten his body back, but at such a high cost? Surely there must have been another way.

"Sir," Hawkeye said respectfully but with a forceful tone. "If you don't eat, I'm going to force it down your throat. You won't be of any use to anyone if you don't keep up your strength. You know that."

Suddenly, a voice from behind her said, "Well, Roy always has been a picky eater. There's no accounting for taste, Riza. Give the guy a break."

They both turned to look at the door, and there stood Mustang's little sister Colonel Amy Mustang. At the age of twenty-eight, she had already accomplished much in her lifetime. She was a State Alchemist, a war veteran, a colonel, the list went on and on. Mustang himself couldn't have been prouder of his sister, and he made a point of telling her so whenever he had the opportunity.

Though he wouldn't admit this aloud to anyone, he hadn't had very high hopes for Amy when they were younger. After their parents had died, Amy had taken an involuntary vow of silence. She had been so devastated and heartbroken at her tender, young age that she had cut herself off from everyone, refusing to speak to anyone. That is, refusing to speak to anyone but her big brother. She had clung to him like a life raft, and as a result, he became very protective of her.

However, as they grew older, Amy became more independent and outgoing. They moved into Central and made different friends, new acquaintances, and after they joined the State Alchemists, she was like a pillar of emotional strength, especially after returning from the war in Ishbal. That hadn't been easy on anyone, but Amy had been the youngest among them, and a relationship she had been holding during the war was torn apart as a result.

While the war was raging on, Amy had been captured by some Ishbalan extremists and tortured for six months. The only kind person she had met while she was there was (ironically) the man who later became the State's greatest enemy: Scar. He had even been the one to rescue her in the end and help her get back to the military encampment outside the city. While Amy had felt that she had never been able to thank him enough and would never forget him and his kindness, Mustang thought that those little acts of gentility could hardly make up for all the State Alchemists he slaughtered later.

Unfortunately for him, Amy and Scar had become good friends during the time that she was with the Ishbalan extremists. They were almost like each other's confidantes, and that close relationship even endured throughout the years. He would write letters to her whenever he could, and she would write back, hoping that the letter would reach him wherever he happened to be. It wasn't until he started killing State Alchemists that she questioned his character.

In the end, she had decided that he was still the man who had befriended her when she was the most scared she had ever been, and even though she didn't stand beside his decision to kill so many soldiers, she still remained close to him. It had been extremely hard for her to endure the terrible truth about how he had died in Liore just weeks earlier, but she was slowly coming to accept it.

The two smiled as Roy said, "Hey, kid. Come in and have a seat anywhere. You haven't been to see me in a few days; I was beginning to worry."

"Sure," she said sarcastically as she sat down on the side of his bed opposite Riza. "I'm sure you were so worried about poor, defenseless baby sister. Roy, who are you talking to here? I have one of the best records in military history. Besides, if something had happened to me, you would have been the first one to know."

He continued to smile as he put a hand over hers and said, "So what's new in Central? Besides, of course, the new rule, the new laws, the new division of powers. What has been happening with you? Have they given you a new assignment?"

She nodded slowly and said, "They have, but I'm not sure you're going to like it."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll continue to support you. What do they have you doing next?"

Amy breathed deeply and replied, "I'm going to go help out the Ishbalans while they rebuild their city. They've even agreed to let me use alchemy to make the process go a bit faster. I'll be leaving in two days, and Havoc is coming with me."

Mustang was floored. He wasn't sure what to say at first, but he quickly regained his bearings and said, "That's great, Amy. You always said you wanted to do something to help the Ishbalans with their situation, and now you have a chance to do it." He paused for a moment and then said a bit more slowly, "How long will you be gone?"

A small silence followed until she said, "At least a couple of years. They're going to need every bit of help that I can give them, and that is exactly what I plan to do."

Again he was quiet for a long moment until he perked up to his normal self and said, "That's great, Amy. I'm proud of you for doing this. It's a great opportunity to help them out. So, how did you convince Havoc to come with you?"

She laughed and said, "Well, Parliament said that I could only go if I took at least one subordinate with me, and I figured that since Hawkeye has to stay here and baby you, Havoc was the lesser of five evils. He passionately refused at first until I reminded him that there will be plenty of nice-looking young ladies there who have never even set eyes upon you, so he might have a fair shot at them. Sure enough, that did the trick."

Mustang laughed saying, "That sounds just like him. I'm glad to see that recent events don't seem to have changed anyone very much." He then put a hand on Amy's cheek and said, "I just want you to promise me that you'll be careful while you're out there, Amy. It's going to be dangerous, and I want you back here alive. Don't work yourself so hard that you collapse and die of heat stroke, because I know you'll just keep working until someone tells you to stop."

Amy held up a hand to make him stop, and she smiled as she said, "That's part of the reason that Havoc is coming with me. Besides, I wouldn't go and die on you, Roy. I think you know me better than that." She then glanced at her watch and said, "Oh, no! I have to get going! I have a meeting with Parliament again in ten minutes to finalize my plans."

"Will you come back to see me again before you go?" he asked.

"Of course I will," she replied. "I'll come to see you the night before we go." She then kissed him on the cheek and said, "I love you, Roy."

He nodded and called after her, "Love you too, Amy!" After she was gone, he let out a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall. "I can't believe it, Hawkeye. She's always been my little sister, the baby girl I had to protect and look after. And now she's leading her own life, a life in which she really doesn't need me to protect her anymore. It's almost…disappointing."

Hawkeye smiled at her commanding officer as she replied, "Sir, I think Amy has proven more than enough times that she is fully capable of taking care of herself. After all, she's been through rigorous training, wars, heartache. She's even been promoted to Colonel now. You shouldn't worry about her so much. Right now, worry about yourself until you get better, and eat this fruit!"


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening, Amy sat in her barracks, packing up the last of the things she would need while staying in Ishbal. As she dug through some of her dresser drawers, she found a stack of envelopes that she had forgotten was there. They were all obviously fairly old, tied together with a rubber band, and she ran her fingers over them gently, knowing what each one contained.

Figuring she had some time to just relax, she took the letters over to her bed, where she sat down and removed the rubber band. She pulled her legs up on the bed and crossed them in front of her as she carefully opened the first one, hoping it didn't fall apart in her hands. The familiar handwriting that stared back at her made her almost instantly nostalgic, and suddenly she longed to hear his voice again, just to talk to him. It was like he was right there with her as she read:

_Dear Amy,_

_It sure has been a while, hasn't it? I don't think I've gotten to see that beautiful face of yours in at least a year. I know you've been wondering where I wandered off to after the war was over, and the truth is that I've been a little bit of everywhere since I left what used to be Ishbal, but is now really just a bunch of ruins of old buildings. I can imagine children traveling there with their parents…years from now, just to see the old Ruins of Ishbal. And the children will ask their parents, "What was this city?" Then the parents will reply, "A once grand and beautiful capital that was devastated and destroyed." How sad, the children will think. How said, indeed._

_But enough of this. I want to know everything that you have been doing since you returned to Central. During my travels I was told that you had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and your older brother that you told me about was promoted to Colonel. Congratulations! I can think of no one more deserving._

_You know, this may sound a bit corny and cliché, but I miss you, Amy. I miss the talks we used to have every night when the rest of the camp was asleep. I miss looking at you. I miss your sweet nature but hard determination. I certainly hope that that night we said goodbye was not the last I will ever see of you, but just in case, let me go ahead and say that I enjoyed what little time we had together as such good friends. You were the closest thing to a best friend I ever had, and I was more than grateful._

_To say that I "enjoyed" our time together really doesn't even do it justice. You made me happy just by being there and by talking with me, Amy. That was more than enough for me. But now I'm digressing once again, aren't I? I suppose that's my exit cue. It will be light soon, and I'll have to keep moving to a new city. It seems that's all I do these days. When next you write me, send your letter to Westar. I should be there for the next little while. Until next we meet, I love you. Goodbye, my good friend._

_Sincerely,_

_Scar_

She smiled as she read through it a few times, memorizing each and every word. It was hard not to remember what good friends they had become during and after the war, even though at the time it was a serious social faux pas. But then she remembered Scar's recent fate, and her heart broke anew. It had been so hard to accept his death, but she was getting there. Slowly but surely, she was getting there.

Fortunately for her, she had her friends there every step of the way, and some of them had even been there with her when she witnessed it happen. She had been standing with Armstrong, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman just outside the city of Liore, none of them going in because of a letter they had received from Edward Elric earlier that day, warning not to enter the city no matter what.

They watched as the soldiers stormed the city, and in one huge sweep of a bright red light, they were all gone. The soldiers standing on the outskirts of the city, including Amy and her subordinates, had been thrown backward because of the impact, and when they opened their eyes once again, they saw that in place of Liore and their fellow soldiers was nothing but level sand.

Amy's eyes had widened in surprise when she realized that Scar had given up his life to kill all of those people and finish the Philosopher's Stone. She had simply sat there in the sand, too shocked to speak for several moments. Eventually, a small sound escaped her lips before she began screaming out, "No! Scar, you couldn't have done this! Please, gods, no!"

Being the closest one to her, Havoc had hurried to her side, pulling her tightly into his arms as he said gently, "It's okay, Amy. It's all right. Please don't cry. Shh. It's okay."

The others had also quickly joined them, and before they knew it, all five of them were holding her comfortingly at the same time, whispering words of solace to her. She had never liked to show weakness to her subordinates, thinking it would tarnish their image of her, but in this case, she was more than willing to make an exception. She was far too heartbroken to care that they were witnessing her emotional breakdown.

Now as she sat there staring at the letters in her hands, she smiled and thought about what wonderful friends they really were. After she had cried there in the sand for almost a half an hour, Armstrong had picked her up and helped the others carry her back to the temporary base they had set up. Then on the train ride home, Havoc had kept a constant arm around her shoulders and let her rest silently against him. Yes, they were all such wonderful friends.

Suddenly, breaking her train of thought, there was a soft knocking at her door, and she called, "Coming! I'll be right there!" She stuffed the letters into the bottom of one of her bags and hurried to the door, and when she opened it, there before her stood none other than the newly promoted First Lieutenant Jean Havoc himself.

"Hey, boss lady," he said jokingly as he smiled that usual smug grin. "I just finished up all my last minute packing, and I was wondering if you needed any help. We're going to have to be helping each other a lot on this little trip, so I thought I may as well start now."

Amy laughed and replied, "Well, I'm almost done packing everything, but you're more than welcome to come in and keep me company while I finish up."

"Don't mind if I do," he said, stepping in and shutting the door behind him. He then glanced around the spotless room except for a few little bags and things on the bed, and he suddenly felt very out of place. "Wow! My packing was nowhere near this neat. Of course, I should have expected nothing less out of our fearless leader."

She just rolled her eyes and tossed a bag out of one of the chairs as she said, "Make yourself at home. I just have a few more things to do here."

He did as he was told and took a seat at the little table in her kitchen area as he watched her finish her packing. While keeping his eyes on her, he couldn't help but remember several weeks ago on their return from the desert in the West how he had held her closely while she tried to erase the terrible memories of that trip from her mind.

There was one moment in particular that had made him almost forget that there was anyone else in the compartment with the two of them, but he never would have admitted that to anyone else. As he continued to keep one arm around her and stare out the window, he felt her adjust herself in her sleep. He turned to look at her as she moved her head on his shoulder and put her arms around his waist.

She had moved her head in just such a way that the indentation between her eyes and nose was resting against his neck, and he could feel her gentle breathing on his skin as she slept. And then the feel of her arms so securely around him, as though she trusted him completely, almost made him never want to let go of her. He had wanted so badly in that instant to just ever so gently brush his lips against hers, but realizing first of all that there were others in the compartment and second of all that she was his commanding officer, he restrained himself.

Deciding that it was better to make polite conversation than sit there in this awkward silence, Havoc leaned back and said, "So what are the Ishbalan people like? I mean, you've spent time with a lot of them, and you've even been to their city. So is there anything I should know about them before we go?"

Amy smiled as she continued packing and said, "Well, let me see. Really, they're no different from us, except that they worship a different God and have a few different customs. For example, when we get there, you will meet the High Priest. Bow to him and introduce yourself. If he bows back, shake his hand. You must be very respectful of the women, especially the married women. They are considered to be the wisest of the Ishbalan female community. As for the children, each Ishbalan child I have ever met was perhaps the sweetest I have ever known. They are all great children, and I'm sure you'll love them."

"Do the Ishbalan people know you very well?" he asked. "You seem to know a lot about them."

"The ones who don't know me personally know of me because of my friendship with Scar and the High Priest. That fact right there is perhaps the only reason they are letting me come and help them rebuild the city with alchemy. I'm one of the few outsiders they trust, and I'm certainly the only State Alchemist they trust…at least for now. Hopefully the reversal of the Ishbalan Policy will strengthen the bonds between us."

Havoc smiled as well, thinking that Amy had a great image of the future, and he suddenly felt very proud that he was going to have the opportunity to help make it a reality. Hearing her talk that way about rebuilding the Ishbalans' lives made him wonder what had made him hesitate to take this assignment in the first place.

After about another hour of just sitting there and watching her pack, he finally arose and said, "Well, I guess this is my exit cue. We both better get some sleep for in one more day we head out to the wilderness. Just you, me, and sand. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Amy laughed and replied sarcastically, "Tons. Now get a move on, soldier. Get back to the men's barracks and get some sleep. I'm going to drop by and see my brother tomorrow afternoon, and then I'll meet you outside Headquarters if that's all right."

"Well actually," he said. "I'd kind of like to come with you to see the Brigadier General, tell him goodbye and all. I haven't seen him since his battle, and I'd also kind of like to congratulate him on turning the whole system upside down. He really did us all a favor."

She nodded. "He's certainly a hero." She then led him to the door and said, "Goodnight, Havoc."

"Goodnight, Amy," he said, having gotten used to calling her by her first name when he had been comforting her after Scar's death. The odd thing was that she didn't really seem to mind at all. "I'll meet you tomorrow outside Central Command say…noonish? Then we'll go tell that stubborn ass of a leader goodbye together."

She nodded again and closed the door behind him, hoping that her racing heart hadn't been showing the entire time he was there. For gods' sake! He was her subordinate! How inappropriate would that be?


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon, Amy stopped by the front of headquarters to see that Havoc was already waiting for her. They then sojourned together to the medical building to say their final goodbyes to Mustang. They arrived to see that he had just woken up, and Hawkeye and Havoc gave them a few minutes to say goodbye alone before coming in as well.

Amy sat down on the bed beside her brother and took his hands. "Well, I guess this is it," she said. "I'm out of here tonight. Our train leaves at nineteen-hundred hours, and I won't be back for a while."

He smiled and said, "Just be careful, Imouto-chan. And don't you ever forget how much I love you."

She nodded and kissed his cheek at the exact moment that Havoc couldn't take it anymore and walked in saying, "All right, all right. It's my turn to tell him goodbye." He then pretended to be crying hysterically as he hugged the Brigadier General and said, "I'm going to miss you so much, sir!"

Mustang just laughed and pushed him off as he said, "All right, get off. Listen, Jean, I want you to take good care of my baby sister here. I know she's a higher rank than you, but don't hesitate to tell her when she's working herself too hard or going over the line. Promise me that you'll take care of her?"

"Of course, sir," he replied. "It will be my greatest challenge to date!"

Amy just laughed and elbowed him in the side. "Thanks, Havoc." She then glanced at her watch and jumped up. "Oh gods, it's already five o'clock, and we have a meeting with some officers before we get going. Then we have to get our things and get to the train station and get our tickets ready…"

"Calm down, Amy," Mustang said with a laugh. "It's all right. I understand. Just remember what I told you. Be careful and I love you."

She smiled and kissed his cheek again. "I will, and I love you too, Onii-san. I'll write to you when I get the chance, and if we get far enough along to get telephones before too long, I'll give you a call."

He nodded and said, "Goodbye, Imouto-chan."

"Goodbye, Onii-san," she replied before walking out the door with Havoc at her heels.

At eight o'clock that night, their train was speeding along the tracks, on its way to the East. Amy had been engrossed in some letter for what seemed like forever, so Havoc finally broke the silence saying, "What on earth are you reading so many times?"

She smiled as she put the letter away and said, "It's from the High Priest. I received it just this afternoon, and I can't stop reading it. I haven't seen him in years, so it's great to hear from him. He says he's excited to see me again and he can't wait to meet the young soldier I'm bringing along with me."

Havoc chuckled and said, "He might think differently after he _actually_ meets me."

"I highly doubt that," she replied. "I'm sure that he'll like you. Honestly, it takes a great deal to make him dislike someone. Gods, I can't wait to see him and the boys. Rick and Leo are probably two of the sweetest boys I've ever known. They must be at least two years older than the last time I saw them."

She then got up and walked across the compartment and sat down beside him. "Mind if I come over here to sleep?"

"Not at all," he replied with a smile, putting an arm around her.

She rested her head on his shoulder and said, "Goodnight, Havoc."

"Goodnight, Amy," he said gently. He then sat there for about another two hours just staring at her as she slept. She was so beautiful and so kind. If he wasn't careful, he was sure that he would fall in love with her during this trip.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, they were both awoken when an attendant walked into their compartment and said, "Excuse me, officers, but we're approaching your destination."

They stretched awake, and Amy quickly arose to go change out of her uniform. "What?" Havoc said after she explained where she was going. "Why are you changing?"

"I don't want to do anything that will make them distrust us," she replied with a smile. "I suggest you do the same, especially since they've never met you before. They at least already know me. Now come on. Get up and go change."

He did as he was asked, and they both came back into the compartment to grab their bags just as the train was coming to a stop.

They were the only ones to get off at the station, and they were pleased to see that the military jeep that was supposed to meet them there was just as early as the train. The second lieutenant saluted them, and for the first time Havoc felt the first real perks of becoming a first lieutenant. He was finally getting saluted to by other officers.

"Lieutenant Havoc and Colonel Mustang," he said, still keeping up his hand in a salute. "I've been instructed to only take you as far as a half a mile away from Ishbal. From that point you will walk the rest of the way, where you will be greeted by the High Priest and a few of his followers."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Amy said, putting her bag in the back and climbing into the car. "Let's get going then. We don't want to waste anymore daylight."

The three piled back into the car, and headed off toward Ishbal with nary a peep out of either of them. The second lieutenant who had come to pick them up was far too nervous around higher officers to say anything, Havoc was too nervous about meeting the Ishbalans, and Amy was too excited about seeing them all again. Thus the entire trip was passed in utter silence except for the sound of the rushing wind passing by as the car sped across the sand.

Finally, the city of Ishbal came into view, and they stopped approximately a half a mile away. Amy immediately got out of the car and grabbed her bag, urging Havoc to do the same with the utmost urgency. "Come on," she said excitedly. "We're almost there. I can't wait to see them all again."

He hurried out of the car, grabbing his bag just as the second lieutenant sped off with the car. He then turned to Amy and said, "Now what? We just walk? Do you honestly think that we're going to receive a warm welcome from these people? Last I checked, they hated anyone and everyone who was a part of the military, especially State Alchemists."

"How many times do I have to explain this to you?" she said with a little laugh. "They trust me even though I'm a State Alchemist because they know me. Scar was more or less my best friend during the war, and they know how close we were. Besides, the High Priest knows me very well, and he knows that I would never do anything to endanger his people. As for you, you're going to have to earn their trust simply because they don't know you. I'll help in any way that I can in that department, but my word will only go so far."

He nodded, understanding completely. "They're still reluctant to trust military personnel, and that's completely understandable. If I had been born into the same situation, I'm sure I would hate people like us, too."

She smiled and said, "That's for sure. Even I started to hate State Alchemists during the war when I saw some of the chaos that they were causing. Imagine how these people must feel."

The walked and talked for just a little while longer before reaching the outskirts of the city and seeing the welcoming party approaching them. They arrived in front of the High Priest, who was surrounded by several of the elders of the community, and Amy immediately bowed, Havoc following her lead.

He bowed back and said, "Colonel Amy Mustang. It is certainly a wonderful pleasure to see you again." He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "You haven't changed in all these years, my dear."

She smiled back and hugged him tightly. "It's my pleasure to be here, Master," she said excitedly. "I can't wait to see everyone and to get started rebuilding. I promise that my help will make this project go much faster, and I can't thank you enough for letting me come and use my alchemy."

"Of course we wanted you to!" a little voice called, and she looked down to see Rick running toward her with his arms outstretched.

She hugged him and his brother Leo and said, "Hi, boys! It's so good to see you! I feel like it's been ages, even though it's only been about a year!"

"It's good to see you too, Amy," they said happily.

She then stood up and said, "Master, Leo, Rick, I'd like for you to meet First Lieutenant Jean Havoc. Havoc, these three are a few of my closest friends from Ishbal. Havoc won't be helping out with the alchemic part of the reconstruction, but he'll be helping out with just about everything else."

Havoc bowed again and said, "It's my great pleasure to meet all of you. Amy has told me so much about you and your culture. I've been looking forward to this so much."

The High Priest smiled, seeming satisfied with his answer. He nodded and said, "If you'd both please follow me, we've set up a temporary hut for the two of you until we can get some homes built."

They followed him to the hut they'd set up inside the city, and were very grateful for the hospitality they were receiving. Honestly, Amy had expected much more hostility, or at least some. Instead, they were showing them nothing but courtesy and kindness.

Amy nodded her thanks to the High Priest as they were left to get their things unpacked, and then she walked out saying she was ready to get started whenever they were. He nodded and said, "Anything that you need, you are welcome to use."

"Hmm," she said. "Well, what were you thinking of rebuilding first?"

He brought out the blueprints they'd been working on and explained. "We were looking at the temple first, since it's really the center of the entire city. I'm sure you remember what it looked like. We wanted the columns and dome top to be authentic. Basically, we're planning on making the city look just like it did before."

She nodded her understanding. "Of course," she said. "This will be no problem. Master, please gather all the people in the center, and we'll get started."

About ten minutes later, all the people were gathered around Amy, Havoc, and the High Priest in a circle. She smiled as she said, "It's wonderful to see you all again. I know that building the grand city of Ishbal is going to be difficult work, but working together we can do it with no problem. Now, Master has informed me that he would like to rebuild the temple first, so I'm going to need a few things.

"First, I need four volunteers to help me build a transmutation circle in the area where we're going to erect the temple. Because it's illegal to transmute gold from anything, I'll also need all the gold you want to use on the temple to be put in the center so that I can transmute it into the working. Any others who don't wish to volunteer on this project can go back to their own work. There will be plenty for all of us to do. Now, who will my four be?"

Rick and Leo instantly volunteered and ran up to her in the center of the circle. Havoc also stepped closer, saying that he would be more than happy to help. Finally, another young man Amy had never met before walked up to her and bowed politely. "My name is Marc. I'd be honored to help you, Colonel Mustang."

She smiled and said, "Please, Marc, just call me Amy, and I'm very glad to have you with us."

The five of them walked out into the center of where the High Priest told them he wanted the temple, and Amy smiled as she pointed in all four directions and said, "All right. Rick and Leo go to the north and south until I tell you to stop. Marc and Havoc, go to the east and west until I tell you to stop. Go."

The four kept going out until they were several hundred feet away from Amy. She was growing more excited now as she said, "All right. Now each of you move in a circle to where the person on your right is standing." Once they had done that, she went on, "Now Marc and Havoc, make two large triangles from one end of the circle to the other. Rick and Leo, draw a big line from east to west and meet me here in the center."

After those tasks were completed, she asked them all to step carefully out of the transmutation circle they had made so as not to mess up any of the work. She then drew a large circle in the very center and stepped out herself.

At that moment, the gold she had requested was brought to her and laid in the center of the circle. She nodded in approval and knelt in front of the large drawing. Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on the circle, releasing the alchemic reaction.

The people standing around watched with wide eyes as the temple was erected right before their eyes, and in the span of a few minutes the building that had once stood for everything that the Ishbalans believed in was now rebuilt and more magnificent than it had been years before.

Many of the Ishbalans fell to their knees when it was finished and began praying to their god, while others were far too dumbstruck to do anything.

When it was all finished, the High Priest walked up to Amy and put a hand on her shoulder, staring up the steps of the beautiful new temple. "It's wonderful, Amy," he said with a smile. "Thank you so much."

She smiled as she stood up, but immediately fell back down. Havoc quickly went to her side and put his hands on her shoulders. "Amy, what is it? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Havoc," she replied, standing up with his help. "This was a big job. It was more than likely that it would take most of my energy to complete it. I'm afraid I'll need to rest for a while before doing anything further alchemically."

The High Priest nodded, understanding. "Lieutenant Havoc, would you please take her back to the hut and let her rest for a while? I'm going to make it your personal duty to make sure that she's taken care of."

He bowed and said, "Of course, Master." He then picked Amy up, seeing how weak she had become with raising an entire temple, and carried her back to their hut on the other side of the city.

He laid her down on the bed she had claimed with her bag and put a cold cloth on her forehead. It was only a few minutes later that she woke up and said tiredly, "Well, well, well, what's this?"

Havoc smiled and replied, "The High Priest gave me the task of making sure you're well taken care of, and you're always saying that if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. I wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of you, at least not yet. Maybe after I get to know them better and vice versa."

She smiled and said, "Thanks, Jean. I knew there was a reason why I wanted you along."

Without replying, he bent down and kissed her on the head. "You know I'd do anything for you," he finally said. "And not just because you're my superior. You have to know that I've loved you for years."

She nodded. "I know," she said weakly. "I love you too, Jean." She then fell back asleep to regain the strength she'd lost, still holding onto his hand as she drifted into dreamland.


End file.
